Saturday, March 8, 2008

The expert is back?

The latest Newsweek features an article: Revenge of the Experts where it claims that the pendulum is turning away from user generated content and back to an expert mediated world:

In short, the expert is back. The revival comes amid mounting demand for a more reliable, bankable Web. "People are beginning to recognize that the world is too dangerous a place for faulty information," says Charlotte Beal, a consumer strategist for the Minneapolis-based research firm Iconoculture. Beal adds that choice fatigue and fear of bad advice are creating a "perfect storm of demand for expert information."

I'd like to believe them, but the article is devoid of any data to support the claim of a "mounting demand". There is not one stat in the entire article to indicate that this is a trend. I'm sorry, but citing a percentage growth is a worthless metric.

Just because people are building some new Web sites doesn't mean anyone is going to come. Shoddy journalism.

1 comment:

I think this "suggested" swing back to the expert could be contributed to the normal adoption graph of most technologies. There is often a rapid adoption followed by a stabilization period where users gain a better understanding of the technology and its application. I would suggest that it isn't as much as a "return to the expert" as it is a new, more sustainable balance of experts and engaged citizens.